Don’t just install a firewall!

We all hear the news, Shellshock, Heart Bleed, Crypto Locker and more, but we have a firewall installed right – so why worry?

I guess if your first response is, “we don’t have or don’t need a firewall”, then you have already started down the path of a network compromise at some point in time. It doesn’t matter how big or small our companies are, we need to at least have something at the perimeter of our network. It needs to handle Deep Packet Inspection and really Application Control – we need the ability to monitor what information is traveling around our network and what it is trying to do.

That firewall is only ever going to be as good as the last update it received about Advanced Persistent Threats and that is probably going to be down to the fact of whether your firewall has an active threat management service or not. We quickly fall into the trap of not renewing those security services – look, “the firewall is doing its job, I am not letting anyone in to my network that should not be, so why renew the firmware, security services, or warranty, I will just replace it if it fails”.

Everyday the field of view changes for a firewall. Without active firmware updates, warranty and support services, it is like a sitting duck. It is a frigate out in the ocean that no longer has any weapons on board or everything is seized up. Sure it is a deterrent, but one day someone will get a little bolder and test it out. Quickly and without much notice your files could all be encrypted and you find someone pressuring you for a Bitcoin payment to release them back to you.

Don’t get caught out. A firewall is only as good as its last update. Get those <a href="http://www learn the facts here now.firewalls4now.com/” target=”_blank”>subscriptions up to date, they are going to help you finish strong.